Chapter 115 Identity exposed
Chapter 115: Identity Exposed

Gongsun Bujiu looked in the direction of the voice, and was slightly stunned when he saw Ye Xuan in the Jinyiwei official uniform.

Obviously, he did not expect that the person who wrote "Song of Peach Blossom Cottage" was just a military man of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, Gongsun Bujiu obviously did not judge a person by his appearance. He nodded and praised: "It is true that heroes emerge from youth. It is rare for someone so young to be able to write with such artistic conception!"

However, someone in the crowd complained: "This is impossible. He is just a warrior. How could he write such a masterpiece? Someone must have written it for him!"

People looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person speaking was the second place winner of the poetry competition - Zhang Quandan.

At this moment, this young man who prided himself on being elegant and graceful had not yet realized that the resentful expression on his face was obvious, and one could tell at a glance that this young man from the family of the Left Vice Minister of Works was in extreme resentment and extreme anger.

Those civil and military officials were all old foxes, so how could they not see it? They just laughed it off.

Moreover, Ye Xuan, a centurion, could actually sit at the same table with Zhu Yuan, Zhu Biao and others. His identity was enough to make people wary, and no one would agree with Master Zhang.

Only Zhang Qiao, the Left Vice Minister of Works, was so anxious that he kept winking at his son with sweat on his forehead.

However, Zhang Quandan was at the peak of jealousy, so he couldn't see his father's expression. He just stared at Ye Xuan with resentment and said, "Besides, Ye Liangchen is said to be elusive. Few people have seen his true face. So what he says is true? Maybe he is an imposter!"

Everyone looked thoughtful upon hearing this, and the Chang sisters seemed to have suddenly realized something.

However, he did not say anything sarcastic. Regardless of whether Ye Xuan had used Ye Liangchen's name, the poem "Song of Peach Blossom Cottage" alone was a masterpiece that would be passed down through the ages.

Ye Xuan shrugged. The pen name Ye Liangchen was just something he came up with on a whim at the time. How could he prove it? He couldn't just go home and ask Nian Wei to be a witness!
Just when he didn't know what to do, a deep and majestic voice suddenly sounded behind him: "I believe he is Ye Liangchen!"

Everyone looked in surprise and found that the person who spoke was none other than the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

Soon after, Crown Prince Zhu Biao also stood up, patted Ye Xuan on the shoulder and said, "I also believe in Brother Ye's character and will never impersonate anyone else's name."

"I think so too."

"I also believe in Ye Xuan."

"Brother Ye Xuan would never lie!"

Empress Ma, Crown Princess Chang, Princess Anqing and others stood up one after another and expressed their firm support to all the officials in the garden.

When the last tender voice of Princess Anqing fell, the entire imperial garden was in complete silence.

Everyone, even the nerds in the Hanlin Academy, stared with eyes wide open and mouths wide open, looking in disbelief at Ye Xuan in the pavilion and the royal family standing firmly behind him.

At the same time, a thought popped up in his mind: Who exactly is this young Jinyiwei, and why does His Majesty's entire family support him!
After a long time, Zhang Qiao, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, who was hunched over like a stealthy civet cat, finally slipped up to his son without any expression and quietly poked Zhang Quandan in the waist.

Zhang Qiao was terrified, and said angrily, "Fool, why don't you come out and admit your mistake and kowtow, or else don't blame me for expelling you from the family and removing you from the family tree!"

Zhang Quandan was startled to see his father suddenly appear beside him. Seeing his father desperately trying to wink at him, he could not help but lower his voice and said unwillingly, "Dad, this Jinyiwei must have hired a ghostwriter, otherwise how could a mere warrior write better than me!"

Zhang Qiao glared at his son with a look of disappointment and said in a domineering manner, "I don't care if he wrote it himself or hired a ghostwriter. Didn't you see that His Majesty and the Queen's family all supported him? If you want to die, I won't stop you. But before you die, you'd better clarify with the Emperor and say that you, Zhang Quandan, have voluntarily left the Zhang family and have nothing to do with our Zhang clan anymore!"

"Dad, I... I am your only son!" Zhang Quandan said in disbelief.

However, all he got in response was Zhang Qiao's cold and ruthless words: "It's better for you to die alone than for your whole family to die. Think it over carefully!"

Perhaps others would think that Zhang Qiao’s reaction was too intense, but in fact, if you think about it carefully, it is not difficult to understand Zhang Qiao’s painstaking efforts.

Who is Zhu Yuanzhang?

He is a living devil with the lives of tens of thousands of officials on his hands. If you dare to question someone he trusts in front of him, how can you escape from the consequences?

What's more, it was not only Zhu Yuanzhang who supported Ye Xuan. Even Empress Ma, the living Bodhisattva of the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Biao, the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty, expressed their belief in Ye Xuan without hesitation.

If he had only offended Zhu Yuanzhang, he would probably have been bullied for a few years until Zhu died.

But if I offend Zhu Biao as well, do I still want to pursue a career in officialdom in this life?

So Zhang Qiao’s reaction was not extreme at all, and it could even be said to be very wise.

And Zhang Quandan was not completely stupid. After seeing his father's look, he calmed down a little and vaguely realized that it would be of no benefit to continue questioning him.

After figuring it out, Zhang Quandan walked up to the crowd with a humiliated mood. Just when everyone thought that this guy was going to continue to raise some doubts, Zhang Quandan suddenly knelt down with a plop.

He lowered his head and pressed it tightly against the ground, saying with tears in his eyes, "I deserve to die. I was so obsessed with jealousy of the talent of this Jinyiwei that I spoke rudely. Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, please punish me!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Ye Xuan, not knowing whether to do so or not. Ye Xuan chuckled and said generously, "It's just a momentary misunderstanding. Besides, the pen name Ye Liangchen is indeed not commonly used, so it is inevitable that people will misunderstand it."

I had thought that Ye Xuan, being young and full of vigor, would be extremely angry when being publicly questioned in such an occasion, but I didn't expect that Ye Xuan would be surprisingly magnanimous.

Zhu Yuanzhang and others nodded in approval, and looked at Ye Xuan with even more appreciation.

After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand at Zhang Quandan and said, "Get up. Since you are still young, it is inevitable that you will be confused for a while. I will not punish you this time. Remember to be careful with your words and actions in the future."

Zhu Biao also added: "Don't you think about it? If His Majesty reluctantly impersonates someone else or even asks someone to write for him, that would be a crime of deceiving the emperor. As a member of the Imperial Guard, Ye Xuan knows that deceiving the emperor means the whole family will be executed. How could he risk his life for this little bit of fame?"

Everyone nodded continuously when they heard this. The few people who had some doubts about Ye Xuan because of Zhang Quandan's questioning also immediately understood.

Yes, it is just a small poetry competition. Even if you win the first prize, you will only have a chance to be favored by the emperor.

(End of this chapter)